How Caleb Downs, Arvell Reese and the rest of Ohio State’s defense graded in 2025

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State’s defense put up humanities numbers successful 2025.

Despite needing to switch 8 starters and a protect coordinator from a squad that won a nationalist title successful 2024, this portion someway recovered a measurement to scope a caller level. Matt Patricia took complete a group that would yet nutrient 2 unanimous All-Americans, different statement All-American and a bevy of different Big Ten and nationalist awards.

• How Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Ohio State’s discourtesy graded successful 2025
• A erstwhile Ohio State backmost is transferring to nan ACC: Buckeye Breakfast
• Why Ohio State’s violative statement will beryllium nan cardinal to nan Buckeyes’ 2026 success
• Ohio State shot is losing a starting violative lineman to nan transportation portal

Here’s really each personnel of nan defense graded retired according to Pro Football Focus:

(PFF grades each subordinate connected each play and uses a standard of 0-100, pinch higher grades indicating amended play. PFF has explained its grades this way: 100-90 elite; 89-85 Pro Bowler; 84-70 starter; 69-60 backup; 59-0 replaceable. In different words, it’s akin to really we would lucifer up percentages pinch accepted missive grades successful school.)

NOTE: Snap counts successful parentheses.

DEFENSIVE END

Caden Curry: 90.7 (610)

C.J. Hicks: 79.7 (50)

Zion Grady: 79.0 (104)

Joshua Mickens: 74.9 (44)

Kenyatta Jackson: 72.3 (549)

Epi Sitanilei: 60.7 (17)

Logan George: 59.7 (19)

Beau Atkinson: 51.5 (214)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Kayden McDonald: 86.7 (448)

Eric Mensah: 79.5 (12)

Will Smith Jr.: 72.6 (224)

Jason Moore: 69.8 (43)

Tywone Malone: 67.4 (298)

Jarquez Carter: 63.5 (51)

Eddrick Houston: 60.4 (324)

Trajen Odom: 59.8 (10)

Dominic Kirks: 57.6 (17)

LINEBACKER

Sonny Styles: 89.2 (663)

Payton Pierce: 79.6 (263)

Arvell Reese: 75.0 (651)

Eli Lee: 73.9 (6)

Riley Pettijohn: 66.2 (77)

Joey Velazquez: 64.4 (3)

TJ Alford: 56.6 (50)

Garrett Stover: 40.4 (230

CORNERBACK

Davison Igbinosun: 81.5 (655)

Bryce West: 71.2 (91)

Aaron Scott Jr.: 64.8 (106)

Jermaine Mathews: 62.8 (695)

Miles Lockhart: 62.4 (3)

Devin Sanchez: 59.3 (323)

SAFETY

Caleb Downs: 87.6 (682)

Jaylen McClain: 79.2 (708)

Leroy Roker: 70.2 (82)

Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 66.5 (405)

Faheem Delane: 66.4 (81)

Malik Hartford: 64.7 (38)

Stephen Means covers Ohio State shot for Cleveland.com while besides serving arsenic nan big of nan Buckeye Talk podcast. Prior to covering nan Buckeyes, he sewage acquisition moving astatine nan Akron Beacon Journal...